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HSK 1 Modal Verbs: How to Use 会 (huì) and 能 (néng)
In English, both 会 (huì) and 能 (néng) are frequently translated as 'can'. In Mandarin, however, they serve distinct purposes. This lesson explains how to use these two essential HSK 1 modal verbs to express learned skills, likelihood, practical possibility, and permission.
我会说汉语。
Uses 会 (huì) because speaking a language is a skill acquired through learning.
× 我没有会说汉语。
Incorrect for “I do not know how to speak Chinese”: use 我不会说汉语. This does not rule out 没能 in a different meaning, “did not manage to”.
Corrected example: 我不会说汉语。
Read the full explanation and examples
What Are Modal Verbs in HSK 1?
In the supplied HSK 1 grammar outline, 会 (huì) and 能 (néng) are grouped under 能愿动词 (néngyuàn dòngcí), commonly called modal verbs or auxiliary verbs in English. Note that level classifications reflect the supplied syllabus outline rather than a guarantee of what any specific test center administers on a given date.
Because English translates both words as 'can' or 'be able to', beginners often treat them as interchangeable. In Mandarin, choosing between them depends on whether you are talking about a skill you have learned how to do, a future prediction, or an action that current circumstances allow you to perform.
Core Sentence Structures
会 and 能 precede the main action verb in the basic patterns here. They need not immediately follow the subject: a time expression can intervene, as in 我现在能去商店. Chinese modals do not conjugate for person or tense, and the following action verb needs no English-style infinitive “to”.
To make a negative statement, place 不 (bù) directly in front of the modal verb. To ask a simple yes-or-no question at the HSK 1 level, add the question particle 吗 (ma) to the end of an affirmative statement.
How to Use 会 (huì): Learned Skills and Likelihood
The primary function of 会 (huì) for beginners is to express an acquired skill. If an action requires study, training, or practice—such as speaking a foreign language, writing characters, driving, or cooking—use 会 (huì). In this sense, it means 'to know how to'.
我会说汉语。
Uses 会 (huì) because speaking a language is a skill acquired through learning.
弟弟不会写汉字。
Uses 不会 (bù huì) to show that he has not yet learned how to write characters.
A second common use of 会 (huì) is to indicate that something is likely to happen or will happen in the future. Here, it corresponds to the English 'will'. Its negative form 不会 (bù huì) means something 'will not' happen.
明天老师会来学校。
Uses 会 (huì) to express future likelihood ('will').
How to Use 能 (néng): Possibility, Conditions, and Permission
Instead of focusing on whether you have studied a skill, 能 (néng) focuses on whether current physical, practical, or social conditions allow an action to take place. You use 能 (néng) when you have the time, physical strength, or practical opportunity to do something.
我现在能去商店。
Uses 能 (néng) because going to the store is a matter of having time or favorable circumstances, not a learned skill.
In everyday conversation, 能 (néng) is also widely used to make polite requests or talk about what is permitted. Its negative form, 不能 (bù néng), frequently translates as 'cannot' due to an obstacle, or 'must not' and 'not allowed to' when stating a rule.
你能帮我吗？
Uses 能 (néng) in a question to ask whether someone is able and willing to help.
这儿不能坐。
Uses 不能 (bù néng) to express that sitting here is not allowed or not possible.
Useful Contrast: 会 (huì) vs. 能 (néng)
The clearest way to see the difference between 会 (huì) and 能 (néng) is to put both into the same situation. Knowing how to perform a skill does not automatically mean you are able or allowed to do it right now.
我会开车，但是今天不能开车。
Contrasts 会 (huì) for the learned skill with 不能 (bù néng) for a temporary practical restriction (such as being sick or not having a car today).
- Use 会 (huì) when the meaning is 'know how to' through learning (for example, speaking Chinese or driving a car).
- Use 会 (huì) when predicting that an event will happen (for example, someone coming tomorrow).
- Use 能 (néng) when practical conditions allow the action (for example, having free time or physical capability right now).
- Use 能 (néng) when asking for a favor or stating whether an action is permitted in a specific setting.
Common Learner Mistake: Negating Modal Verbs
To say that you do not know how to do something, use 不会, not 没有会: 我不会说汉语. Do not extend this to a ban on every negative modal. 没能 + Verb is common when an action was not managed or did not become possible in a particular situation, as in 我昨天没能去 (“I could not make it yesterday”). 不能 describes inability or prohibition; 没能 reports the unrealized event.
× 我没有会说汉语。
Incorrect for “I do not know how to speak Chinese”: use 我不会说汉语. This does not rule out 没能 in a different meaning, “did not manage to”.
Corrected example: 我不会说汉语。
我不会说汉语。
Correct replacement: 不 directly before 会 gives 不会, meaning “do not know how to” in this skill statement.
Frequently asked questions
Does the tone of 不 (bù) change before 会 (huì) and 能 (néng)?
In standard spoken pronunciation, 不 (bù) changes to the rising second tone (bú) before a fourth-tone syllable like 会 (huì), while it stays fourth tone (bù) before a second-tone syllable like 能 (néng). In dictionary-tone pinyin, however, 不 is consistently written as bù.
Can 会 (huì) or 能 (néng) be used alone as a short answer?
Yes. If someone asks '你能帮我吗？' (Can you help me?), you can answer '能' (I can). If someone asks '你会说汉语吗？' (Can you speak Chinese?), you can answer '会' (I can) or '不会' (I cannot).
Can I use 能 (néng) instead of 会 (huì) to mean 'will' in the future?
Do not choose a Chinese modal simply by translating the English word “will”. 会 is a common choice for an expected future event. 能 focuses on whether an event is feasible or circumstances allow it; such a possibility can also concern tomorrow. The intended meaning, not future time alone, determines the choice.
